Propagation: Plant chicory (cichorium intybus) seeds in spring up north and in fall in the south. If chicory or radicchio plants bolt with long stems, just cut off the stems in fall and they will form the characteristic heads before spring

Native to: Chicory (cichorium intybus) is originally from the mediterranean region. Chicories and radicchios are especially popular in italy, where the leaves and stems are eaten raw or cooked, and the roots are boiled or roasted. The wild form of chicory has become naturalized as a weed in many parts of the world, and is especially common in north america where it grows in old fields and along roads and powerlines.

Winter Sowing Zones: Zones 4-8

Notes for Identification: pin it root chicory is grown for its roots which are cooked like carrots or parsnips or roasted and used as a substitute for, or a flavoring in, coffee. The radicchios are types of chicory that grow in tight heads, like cabbage. Most radicchios are wine-red with white veins and about the size of an orange or small grapefruit. They often look like little red cabbages. The roadside weed, wild chicory, with its pretty blue flowers, is this same species, gone wild.. Use radicchio and chicory in salads throughout the winter and spring. When grown in hot weather, these salad greens, like escarole and endive, tend to be too bitter for our tastes. They usually die during our hot, humid summer, anyway. Chicory (cichorium intybus) are actually perennials, but they are usually grown as annuals, pulled up completely when harvested. However, if you just cut off the radicchio head or the individual stems of italian chicory, the plants will regrow and continue to produce. You can even let them bolt to flower, and then cut off the flowering stem and they will begin again to produce the edible leaves. The blue flowers are very pretty and attractive to butterflies. ~ source: floridata chicory (cichorium intybus) should get normal garden watering as with any leafy vegetable.